The mood in the meeting room shifted, and many eyes turned toward Yamanaka Jichou with complicated expressions.
Yamanaka had been in his thirties when he first led a game development team, giving him far more connections and experience than Fuyukawa Tetsu. Back then, fighting games were taking the world by storm, and NTsoft's Department Four was at its peak. Even with just a D-level marketing budget, the sheer clout of "NTsoft Department Four" brought more traffic and exposure than the department's current C-level budget could dream of.
This was a hopelessly uneven fight. Fuyukawa's odds of winning were slim to none.
Any fleeting sympathy for Yamanaka evaporated from the room. His earlier sob story had done its job, though—no one dared voice opposition, not even Miyano Mitei. All eyes zeroed in on Fuyukawa.
He was cornered.
Just moments ago, he'd questioned Yamanaka's competence, and now the older man was daring him to prove his own. This bet was a trap—refuse, and he'd lose face; accept, and he was likely doomed.
Around the long table, employees exchanged glances, some smirking, ready for the drama. Miyano's brow furrowed with concern, but Fuyukawa met Yamanaka's gaze head-on and nodded coolly. "If you want to go down swinging, I'll humor you."
"...!"
"...!"
"...!"
Go down swinging?
His words echoed through the lavish meeting room, stunning everyone. Jaws dropped, eyes widened, but Fuyukawa wasn't done. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he locked onto Yamanaka. "Oh, and I hear you've said some pretty vile things to my subordinate. If my project outsells yours, I want you, old man, to do a dogeza right in front of the Firefly Studio office!"
Dogeza?!
Outsell him, and demand a dogeza? That was insane! The room erupted into chaos, voices buzzing with shock.
Even Miyano's eyes widened, staring at Fuyukawa in disbelief. But then she caught his earlier words: "You've said some pretty vile things to my subordinate." Her mind flashed to Sayoko, head bowed, meekly mopping the floor. Glancing at Fuyukawa's blazing eyes, a thought struck her.
Is it that woman?
Sayoko had been with Firefly Studio before. Fuyukawa usually took power struggles in stride. He'd crush his opponents without mercy but rarely held personal grudges. Losing was just part of the game—everyone fought for their own interests, fair or foul. But Yamanaka was different.
Sayoko had worked at NTsoft for seven years, three of them at Firefly. Under Japan's seniority system, she should've been promoted to section chief by now. The role was mostly ceremonial, with a modest pay bump and little real power, but for someone like Sayoko, who was strapped for cash, it was critical. Yet Yamanaka, after failing to coerce her into an unspoken "arrangement," had blocked her promotion, docked her pay with flimsy excuses, and publicly humiliated her, calling her incompetent in front of the entire studio.
That timid, fearful demeanor Sayoko had when Fuyukawa first met her? A big part of it stemmed from Yamanaka's shadow.
Fuyukawa had been itching to take the old man down for a while. This opportunity had come faster than expected. As for the gossip about him being "arrogant" or "disrespectful"? He couldn't care less.
His eyes bore into Yamanaka, who clearly hadn't expected the dogeza demand. The older man's composure cracked, his face twisting with fury. After a long pause, he sneered, "Dogeza? Fine, I accept! Let's see what a punk like you can do! But if you lose…"
"If I lose, you're my daddy!" Fuyukawa shot back.
---
With Dead or Alive's catastrophic failure and the brewing conflict between Miyano and Yamanaka, today's monthly department meeting had the entire company's attention. Other departments were watching closely, but for Department Four and Firefly Studio, it was make-or-break.
"Think Firefly'll get axed after this mess?" one employee whispered.
"Nah, it's the department's flagship. At most, they'll demote Yamanaka," another replied.
"Demote him? That's letting him off easy. You weren't at HQ last year, but there was this new girl, Nagata Shoko, I think? She got chewed out for two hours just because the tea she served Yamanaka's guest was too hot. She lasted three months at Firefly before the stress got so bad she slit her wrists. Nearly didn't make it. It was a big deal, but Yamanaka's the former department head's guy, so it got hushed up."
"What?! That happened? I…"
Yamanaka might get demoted?
In a bathroom stall, Sayoko, dressed in a fitted skirt, sat on the toilet, pulling a tissue from her bag. Overhearing the LINE voice chat from the next stall, her delicate brows furrowed, memories flooding back.
She saw a timid woman standing in an office, surrounded by mocking stares, sketch drafts scattered at her feet after being thrown in her face. In front of her stood a short, bald man in a garish gold suit, berating her. Another memory: a woman in a worn floral dress sitting in a hospital corridor, clutching a bill, her phone displaying a message: "Come to my place tonight. We'll discuss your section chief promotion."
The memories tightened Sayoko's fists, fear still lingering in her eyes. Workplace bullying, like schoolteacher gaslighting, left deep scars—sometimes lifelong. The pain wasn't just from the words or the hit to her pride. It was like a horror movie: the moment itself wasn't the worst part. It was the endless replay in her mind, the self-doubt, the mental exhaustion.
How many newbies had lost sleep over a boss's harsh words? How many hesitated, second-guessing themselves after a scolding? For Sayoko, Yamanaka's relentless torment had driven her to severe insomnia, unable to sleep without melatonin or pills.
But then…
"Things are better now," she thought. She didn't care about Yamanaka's potential demotion or feel any glee over it. Instead, Fuyukawa's image flashed in her mind, and the fear in her eyes began to fade. A small smile curved her lips.
Then, a voice from the next stall broke through. "What?! Fuyukawa-san went head-to-head with Yamanaka at the meeting?!"
"Shh, keep it down!"
"Come on, spill! Fuyukawa-san challenged a jichou? And Yamanaka of all people, with his seniority?"
"Quiet, you idiot! I heard from Fujitani, who was serving tea at the meeting. It started with Yamanaka and Miyano going at it, but somehow the fight shifted to Fuyukawa-san. When Fujitani went back with more tea, she saw him point at Yamanaka and say, 'I hear you've said some vile things to my subordinate. If my project outsells yours, I want you, old man, to do a dogeza in front of Firefly's office!'"
"Dogeza?! Holy crap, Fuyukawa-san's got guts! That's so badass!"
"Right? And get this—he said if he loses, he'll call Yamanaka 'daddy.' Tsk, a section chief mouthing off to a deputy head like that? I've been here years and never seen anything like it."
"Me neither! But who's this subordinate he's so pissed about?"
"No clue, but Firefly's a small team. Shouldn't be hard to find out—"
The chatter continued, but in her stall, Sayoko's head dropped. Her toes curled, and a flush crept up her neck beneath her dark hair. After a long moment, she hunched forward like a shrimp, hands cupping her face. Soft, muffled sobs echoed in the stall.